Tony Becca - FROM THE BOUNDARY THE REGIONAL Carib Beer cricket series is under way and if the first round of matches is a good indication of what can be expected, it should be an interesting tournament with Barbados looking, as expected, like the team to beat.
Defending champions of both the Carib Beer Cup and the Carib Beer International Challenge, Barbados, got off to a lovely start with a ten-wicket victory over Guyana and with four players now in South Africa, with another three on their way, even though, like Jamaica, they will not be anywhere near full strength for most of the tournament, although they are unlikely to be as dominant as last year when they won five matches and led on first innings in two to finish with an impressive 72 points - 24 more than second-placed Guyana, they must be favourites to repeat.
In a dream start at Kensington Oval, Barbados, playing without pace bowlers Fidel Edwards, Corey Collymore and Vasbert Drakes, nailed Guyana for 108 in their first innings and then, with batsman Dwayne Smith absent but with Floyd Reifer and Kurt Wilkinson ticking off centuries, chipped to 422 for seven declared to set up the victory.
In another fine performance, West Indies B, who are not eligible to win the Cup, pipped Kenya, who also cannot win the Cup but can win the Challenge, in a low-scoring thriller at Edgar Gilbert Park in St. Kitts.
After falling for 97, dismissing Kenya for 149 and then scoring 149, West Indies 'B' routed Kenya for 85 to win by 12 runs. That was a wonderful performance by the young West Indians, even though their batsmen failed to fire.
Kenya defeated the West Indies in the World Cup of 1996, that they defeated Sri Lanka in World Cup 2003, that they contested the Super Six round after finishing ahead of New Zealand, the West Indies and South Africa in Group B, and that but for one player they are at full strength.
In the other two matches, Trinidad and Tobago led the Leeward Islands on first innings by 11 runs after scoring 324, the Windward Islands led Jamaica on first innings by seven runs after squeezing their way to 273, and as the margins suggest, it was a dogfight for innings points at Guaracara Park in South Trinidad and at Beausejour in St. Lucia.
While it was a great start for Barbados and West Indies B, it was a disappointing one for both the Leeward Islands and Jamaica. To lose is one thing. To lose a close contest, however, is something else, and the Leeward Islands and Jamaica must be kicking themselves - one for failing to lead after reaching 315 for seven, the other for failing to finish off the opposition who were struggling at 101 for six and again at 199 for eight.
Although, with Christopher Gayle, Wavell Hinds and Marlon Samuels, Carlton Baugh Jnr., Jermaine Lawson, Jerome Taylor and Daren Powell out because of West Indies duty and injury, they were far from full strength, and even though the Windward Islands were at full strength, Jamaica should have pocketed first innings points- even though, on the whole, they did not bat well.
266 runs on a good pitch was not a winning total, but after finding themselves in a position, not once but twice, to grab the lead, Jamaica should have done so, and looking back, new captain Gareth Breese must be lamenting one decision.
With the Leeward Islands resuming on 247 for eight on the third morning and looking 20 for the lead, Jamaica, probably deciding to go down with their most experienced bowlers, started with Breese himself and Nehemiah Perry. Both bowlers, however, are offspinners, and instead of attacking the lower order - number eight Shane Shillingford and number 10 Fernix Thomas - with two spin bowlers of the same type and two offspinners at that, a better bet would have been a combination of one and left-arm legspinner Ryan Cunningham who, as his figures of two wickets for 20 runs off 14 overs up to then suggested, was bowling well.
Although, with the scores level, it was too late when Cunningham was eventually called on, he removed both batsmen - one driving at the legspinner, at a delivery leaving him, and edging to slip, the other driving at the legspinner, at a delivery leaving him, and lofting a catch to cover point.
Such is the game of cricket that Breese and Perry could well have won the lead for Jamaica, and that Cunningham may not have made a difference. Variety to any batsman, and particularly so to tail-enders, is always better than two of a kind. However, although the Windward Islands deserve credit for pulling it back through two wonderful partnerships, Breese and Perry instead of one and Cunningham on the third morning may well have been why Jamaica failed to pull it off.
